Tessa leaned against the breakfast bar in her staff apartment and polished off her second glass of wine.

Carrie had dropped off the key an hour earlier. Tessa had barely been able to look her in the eye when she’d mumbled her awkward thanks.

Dinner would be ready in thirty minutes.

Tristan should be there in fifteen.

Just enough time for Tessa to chug another glass. Or so she thought until he knocked on the door. Early.

“It smells great in here.” Tristan gifted her with one of those heart-melting half-smiles as he bussed her on the cheek.

“It’s dinner.”

“It’s you.”

Tessa didn’t have a chance to respond before he swept her up in a deep kiss. The apartment door closed on its own and Tristan seized the opportunity. He backed Tessa up until she was flush against it, then hauled her up so they were eye level, her legs locking just above his ass.

“I missed you,” he groaned between kisses. “The way you taste….” He sealed her lips with his, lingering, before muttering, “I couldn’t get you out of my head, the taste of you off my tongue. You’re bliss, Tessa.” Tristan cradled her jaw in his hand, keeping her steady as he sank deep. He was practically beaming when he pulled back. “And so fucking addictive.”

Tessa was lightheaded. From his kisses. From his words. She didn’t think she’d heard him say so much, so early in the evening, ever. She loved it. All of it. Too much.

“It’s only been a few hours,” she reminded them both. Her comment broke through his happy haze and Tristan stopped just before dragging her lower lip into his mouth.

“True.” His face closed off as he let her slide to the floor.

Goddamnit, you keep fucking up, Tessa! She’d asked Tristan to open up, had made him promise. Had practically demanded he tell her what he was thinking. And now, when he did, she said something that made him think she wasn’t interested. Or, worse, rejecting him.

“Tristan.” She caught up with him halfway across the room. She had to dodge a coffee table to come around to face him. She laced the fingers of her uninjured hand through his, not letting go when he jerked slightly. “What I meant to say was, I missed you too.”

Some of the storm faded from Tristan’s eyes, but they didn’t clear completely.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying to navigate this, us, too.” Tessa gestured weakly between them. “You said you’re out of practice. So I guess it’s only fair for me to admit the same thing.”

Tristan tucked an errant piece of hair behind one ear, lingering against the sensitive skin beneath her jaw. “You don’t eat dinner with people either?”

Tessa smiled. “No, that I do all the time. What I mean is, I don’t date. I haven’t dated, not in a very long time.”

“Is that what we’re doing?” Tristan’s eyes had gone electric blue, flipping Tessa’s anxiety to anticipation.

“Well….” She slipped her other hand between two of his shirt buttons, relishing the feel of his smooth, hot skin beneath her fingers. “We are sleeping together. And we’re eating together. I think, in many books, that constitutes dating.”

“Is that what you want?” Tristan closed the gap between them, his thighs brushing her hips, his chest teasing the tips of her breasts.

“Yes,” Tessa confessed. She hadn’t consciously considered it. But somewhere between their regular—and regularly awkward—dinners and rushing out in a hurricane to find him, Tessa had stopped thinking of Tristan as a friend. She’d started thinking of him as hers. “Yes,” she repeated, louder. “I want us to be dating.”

Tessa was glad she was holding on to him. The support came in really handy when Tristan smiled and her knees buckled.

It wasn’t the half-smile she’d come to love.

It was a full-blown, mega-watt, knock-your-socks-off, stop-your-heart, blindingly brilliant smile. His strong lips parted across straight, white teeth, and the skin around his eyes crinkled in a way that sent heat down deep into Tessa’s stomach, her breath escaping on a whoosh when she caught the flash of a dimple beneath one eye.

Holy. Fuck. She’d thought Tristan handsome before. Now stunning didn’t begin to cover it.

His mouth was moving, but it took a second for Tessa to realize he was talking. “Hmm, what?”

“I said,” Tristan teased, his smile still bright, “good. ’Cause I want us to be dating too.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek and Tessa held his hand a little tighter, floored by how good those curved lips felt against her skin. “Now feed me. I’m starving.” That smile turned mercurial. “Unless”—he caught her jaw with his tongue—“you want to skip the food and move on to eating other things….”

That time, Tessa’s knees actually wobbled. She couldn’t keep up with this smiling, teasing version of Tristan. Her mind was completely scattered and the rest of her body, well, it was already clamoring with a different type of hunger. One that she wasn’t ready to satisfy just yet.

“Dinner first,” she managed. “The rest, after.”

“Humph,” he said, but didn’t protest when she pointed to the table.

Minutes later Tessa returned with two steaming plates of food.

“Mac and cheese?” Tristan looked at it, then back at her, skeptical.

“It’s the perfect comfort food. And after the past few days, well”—Tessa shrugged—“I had a craving.” She blew on her fork before popping some into her mouth. “What?” Tristan was still staring at her.

“Just,” he finally answered, “not what I was expecting.”

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it.”

“No, no.” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I love mac and cheese. I mean, who doesn’t? Carbs and gooey cheese, both in one place.”

“People who are gluten- and lactose-intolerant?” Tessa sassed back.

Tristan laughed. “Yes, fair point. It’s just not what I was expecting. That’s all.”

“Maybe you should stop thinking so hard and eat.”

She kept her attention on her own plate as Tristan dug in. She wouldn’t watch him chew. That would only give it away.

“Tessa?” Tristan dipped her name, the “a” rising in a question.

“Yes?”

“What’s the crunchy thing?”

“You mean the bacon?”

“No.” Tristan poked at the golden topping, picking at the slightly translucent bits. “I mean these.” He held out a forkful of the offending food.

“Shallots.”

“Onions.”

“No, shallots.”

“They taste like onions.”

“They taste delicious. And they’re even better fried and crispy, which is exactly how you’re eating them.”

“You are a sneaky little thing, aren’t you?”

Tessa tried to grin, but her mouth didn’t cooperate. Her conversation with Grace flickered through her head. It was true. She was sneaky. Even when she didn’t want to be. “Just try them. They won’t hurt you. I fried them in bacon fat and sprinkled them on the top. Along with bacon and a little goat cheese. It works, I promise.”

Tristan scooped up a larger forkful and chewed slowly. “Sweet and salty,” he said as he finished.

“Exactly. See, you’re learning.” This time Tessa’s smile stuck.

“It seems,” Tristan murmured, his eyes on her face as he took another bite, “that I am.”

The little subterfuge forgotten, they fell into easy conversation. Tristan confirmed that the resort hadn’t experienced any major damage from the hurricane. The same went for the surrounding houses. He was going to pay Jo a visit in the morning, just to make sure the cafe came through unscathed.

Tessa mentioned that she’d spoken with Grace.

“Yeah, I talked to Mark as well,” Tristan chimed in. “They’ll be back in two days. It’ll be good to see them.”

“You’ve missed them,” she stated, leaning back as she pushed her empty plate away.

“I have.” Tristan looked surprised by his own confession. His hand slipped to the back of his neck. Tessa’s stomach shifted against the weight of her dinner. She knew exactly how rough the skin there felt. “I, uh, guess it’s something I’m getting used to.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Tessa nodded in the direction of his neck. Tristan dropped his hand immediately. He shifted in his chair and Tessa held her breath, waiting to see if he’d run for the door.

“No,” he answered slowly. His eyes were fastened on the grain of the wooden table. “I don’t. Not yet.”

“But eventually?” she prompted.

“But eventually. Yes.”

Tessa bit the inside of her cheek. The maelstrom of emotions on Tristan’s face was unsettling to watch. Anger, despair, loneliness, sadness, resignation. One passed over his face, followed fast by another. No wonder he blocked them out, Tessa thought. No wonder he sought solace in the water. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like to live, day after day, with all that bottled up inside. She was slowly starting to understand why he walled it all up. But she could also see where the cracks were forming, fine and susceptible to impact.

“Hey.” Tessa covered his hand on the table. “Whenever you’re ready to tell me, I’ll be here to listen. It doesn’t have to be now. It doesn’t have to be soon. Eventually is just fine with me.”

“Yeah?”

God, what she’d give to have him always look at her like that. With hope. “Absolutely.”

Tristan looked down at where her fingers rested on his. He flipped his hand over so they were palm to palm, his rough calluses abrading her softer skin. “You know,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “I’ve been wondering about something.”

“What’s that?” Tessa’s pulse fluttered when she saw all of his previous emotions vanish behind one: carnal desire. And it was entirely focused on her.

“I know what you taste like here.” He ran his thumb across the center of her palm. “And here.” He tapped her lips with one finger from his other hand. “And I know what you taste like here.” Tristan trailed that finger down her throat, coming to a stop at the delicate dip at the base.

Tessa’s blood pounded under the pressure.

“And here,” he continued, trailing lower until he hit the neckline of her dress. Tessa couldn’t hold back a shiver as he slowly followed it to the shadowed hollow between her breasts. Tristan dipped that single finger into her cleavage. Tessa watched, fixated. That movement, in, then out: it was an explicit echo of the way their bodies would join together lower down.

Tessa’s nipples hardened. Tristan shifted in his chair, the rise of his cock obvious between his strong thighs.

She swallowed a gasp when his finger jumped to one nipple, lightly tracing the peak through the thin fabric of her dress.

“And these,” Tristan continued. “I know what these taste like. So sweet, so hot. The perfect mouthful.”

Tessa swayed in her seat, seeking the heat of Tristan’s hand, missing it when he dropped lower.

“And here.” His forefinger found and traced her belly button, snagging slightly on the delicate cloth. “I know what you taste like here. Soft and yielding.”

Tristan’s eyes met hers, and Tessa’s mouth went dry. He didn’t look away as he slid his hand lower, his palm resting on the crease where her left thigh met her torso. His fingers skimmed just above the juncture between her legs. “But here,” he rasped. “I don’t know what you taste like here. And I want to, Tessa. So fucking badly. More than I need air in my lungs or want the seawater against my skin. More”—his voice fell to a desperate groan—“than I’ve wanted anything in a very, very long time.”

Tessa’s tongue felt heavy as she brushed it along her bottom lip. Tristan tracked the movement, his lids drooping, his fingers flexing against her thigh.

“I’ve dreamed about it all day. No. Longer than that. Since the first time I tasted your skin, that night in the kitchen. I don’t crave anything, Tessa. Nothing in this goddamn world.” Tristan hovered on the edge of his seat, his eyes glowing, almost wild. “I’ve known for so fucking long that wanting something, anything, was pointless. I’ve learned to live without desire, without need. Without the feel of another heartbeat next to mine. But I can’t—” His voice broke. “It doesn’t work. Not like that, not with you.”

Tessa’s heart pounded. She grabbed his wrist where his hand pressed against her leg. He was warm and solid beneath her fingers. Tristan moved another inch closer, his breath tantalizing against her lips.

“Let me have you,” he whispered. “I can survive a lot. I have survived a lot. But I don’t think I can survive another second without tasting you.”

Tessa nodded. It was pure instinct, coherent thought gone. She just wanted Tristan. His mouth, his touch, his body. His heart, her soul whispered. A dangerous request she silenced the only way she knew how.

“Yes. For the love of God, Tristan. Yes.”

Slowly, carefully, Tristan slipped from her grasp. Tessa was in a daze as he dropped to kneel in front of her. He pulled her chair from the table so she faced him.

Tristan’s hands trembled slightly as he took hers and pressed them to the edge of her wooden chair. “Don’t let go.”

It never even crossed her mind. Tristan settled back on his heels and placed one hand on each of her knees. He raked Tessa’s face, his chest expanding as he took in her heavy eyes, her flushed cheeks, her damp lips. Then lower. The rapid pulse in her throat. Her hard nipples where they protested against her dress. The secret, sweet space between her thighs that he revealed slowly, pressing Tessa’s knees apart with his huge hands.

“Tessa Armstrong.” Tristan glanced back up, his eyes dilated and darker than she’d ever seen them. “Of everything I’ve survived, nothing has brought me to my knees. Nothing and no one. Until you.”

The last word faded as Tristan put his lips to one leg, kissing and nipping as he pushed his hands higher.

Up, under the hem of her dress.

His fingers went first, then his palms. Slowly, like he was smoothing out the finest silk and he didn’t want the threads to snag. Tessa shifted, her heart thudding in her ears.

“Shhhhh.” Tristan stilled her, his thumbs skimming just below the line of her panties. He opened her legs wider, making a spot for himself between her thighs.

God, as if staying quiet was possible. Tessa already felt a whimper pressing at the back of her throat. It built to an undeniable moan when Tristan traced her through the damp lace. The broad tip of his finger dipped between her concealed lips and she squeezed the edge of her chair.

“Fuck, Tess. I love how ready you are for me.” Tristan kissed one knee, then the other, before gripping the sides of her panties. “Up,” he instructed, waiting till Tessa lifted off the chair enough for him to drag them free.

“I wonder,” he rumbled, “if you taste as sweet as you smell.”

“Jesus.” Tessa’s head tipped back when Tristan hooked one leg over his shoulder. Her hips tilted upwards at the same time and she heard Tristan’s groan of approval.

He leaned closer, his broad shoulders keeping her spread wide. He had to shift his own legs to accommodate the chair and he placed her other bare foot flat on his thigh. Tessa dug her toes into his thick muscle.

“Ah, my sweet, sweet Tess.” Tristan pushed her dress all the way up, exposing her naked core. His hands rested there, his thumbs feather light in the dip at the top of her thighs.

Tessa shivered when the cooler air hit that hot, wet space, her need amplified by the absence of any sort of friction. She was spread wide, open, laid bare, and her muscles fluttered in anticipation.

“Tessa.”

The dark energy in Tristan’s voice had her heel digging into his back. He still wasn’t touching her, not where she needed him to. Tessa dropped her gaze to his face, about to demand that he get the fuck on with it. But she stopped when she met his eyes.

“Watch,” he ordered. “I want you to watch me taste you.”

Tessa could barely nod. But she did as he demanded, her eyes getting impossibly wide as he leaned forward and traced the inner slope of her thigh with his nose. Tristan’s thumbs dropped lower, parting her folds. Tessa watched Tristan’s face harden, lust and hunger threatening the integrity of his jaw.

“You are so fucking gorgeous, Tessa. So fucking wet. And I am so fucking hungry.”

Tessa felt like she was floating, hovering just outside her body, hypnotized as she watched Tristan pull her scent deep into his lungs and lean forward, so fucking slowly, before his tongue skimmed her throbbing clit.

At that first touch she slammed back down to earth. Her lungs collapsed and her palms throbbed where she gripped the chair, the bandaged cut a distant memory.

Tristan dropped lower, running his tongue through her, back to front, a slick liquid sound filling the room.

“Holy fucking Christ,” Tessa sobbed, her head falling back, mouth agape, as her heel kicked against his back.

Tristan just held her harder. The tips of his fingers became Tessa’s anchors. With every lick, every suck, he was doing his best to break her apart. And he compounded the torture by holding her still, never giving her a reprieve from the mind-bending torment.

Tristan dipped into her channel, and Tessa gave up. She dug her fingers into his hair, sobbing when he opened his mouth wider. Each stroke of his tongue became harder, more insistent.

Tessa felt the first licks of her orgasm in her legs, short bursts of pleasure that spiked when Tristan grazed her clit with his teeth.

“Ahhhhhh,” she whimpered, her hips rocking up on their own. He was still teasing her. “More, please.”

He hummed against her center. The vibration sent a current up her spine. “More what?”

Tessa groaned, her head rocking between her shoulders as she tried to find the right words. “Touch me, lick me. Harder.”

“Anything for you, Tess.” Tristan dragged his tongue up between her folds, the stroke long and strong and exactly what she wanted.

“Yes! Yes, like that. More.” Tessa could barely understand what she was saying, but it didn’t matter. Because Tristan did. And he gave her everything she needed.

He drove two fingers into her tight sheath, his rhythm fast as he focused his mouth on her clit. Tessa writhed in the chair. Her ears filled with the whoosh of her blood as Tristan’s tongue and fingers worked her, fucked her and loved her with every dip and lick, press and pull.

Tessa shook, her foot slipping up Tristan’s thigh as a wave of pleasure hit her hard. Tristan jerked beneath her when her toes brushed his erection where it was trapped beneath his pants.

Tessa groaned. He was so big, so fucking hard. All for her. Because of her. She repeated the movement, her toes cresting over his thick head. Tristan growled around her clit. His wrist flicked faster, the sound of his fingers driving into her mixing with their gasps and groans.

“Fuck, Tristan!” Tessa was losing control over her body. She was Tristan’s. His to do with as he pleased. His to break however he wanted.

“Come, Tess,” he demanded against her wet, throbbing flesh. His cock jumped when she pushed against it. “Come with my mouth on you.”

She was shaking so hard she didn’t know where the tremors started or ended. The shocks of pleasure came, one after the other, pushing her closer and closer to that vanishing point. With a growl, Tristan slipped one hand beneath her ass and lifted her up, his mouth crashing down at the same time.

Tessa screamed. Tristan was in her, on her, everywhere around her. And it was exactly what she needed to fly over the edge.

“Ahhhhhhggggg!” Tessa’s climax hit her hard and without mercy. Her legs spasmed against Tristan’s body, violent shudders locking her muscles as he kept feasting, relishing every new wave her body gave him.

Tessa barely noticed Tristan surging up from the floor. She was a rag doll in his arms. Her legs swung across one arm, and her head lolled against his shoulder as he carried her to the bedroom.

Reality only started to sink in when Tessa felt the pillows beneath her, and Tristan’s hands haul her dress over her head. The prick of need that he’d just satisfied came back with a vengeance when the cool air hit her nipples.

Tessa opened her eyes. Tristan was staring down at her.

He was naked, every beautiful inch of his skin bare. Goosebumps followed her gaze as she absorbed the sight of him. The muscles in his shoulders and upper arms flickered as he held himself still above her. The broad slopes of his pecs begged to be bitten; the small, hard nipples calling out to be licked.

Tessa hovered her right hand above his skin, basking in the heat she could feel without even touching. Tristan swore, low and long, when she rubbed her fingers over the ridges of his abdomen, her nails biting slightly when she traced the grooves between each individual muscle.

They both groaned when Tessa’s hand dropped to wrap around the base of his cock. Tristan’s eyes fluttered as Tessa slowly dragged her fingers up to his tip. She let his broad head lie there for a second before touching her thumb to his slit and smoothing the drop of liquid across the surface.

Tessa hummed in carnal appreciation and Tristan’s hips kicked, needing so much more than her teasing.

“Fuck, Tess. I need to be inside you. Right. Fucking. Now.”

Tessa’s arousal was already running high. It kicked into overdrive at his raw honestly.

“Condom?” Why didn’t I think to get condoms?!? Please, God, let him have brought condoms.

Tessa practically screamed out a prayer when she saw Tristan ripping open a wrapper and sitting back on his heels. Tessa didn’t think she breathed for one second between him slipping on the condom and positioning himself between her thighs.

Tristan hovered there, no part of him touching any part of her. Then he leaned down and kissed her. Long, slow, hard. They kissed with open mouths and a flurry of tongues. It was wet, messy, and exactly what Tessa wanted. Until it stopped being anywhere close to enough.

“I need you,” she begged. “Inside me. Now. Tristan, please.” She arched her back, rubbing their chests together and his pulsing cock pushed into her stomach.

Tristan moved just enough that he could reach down and guide his thick shaft to her entrance. He stopped, the broad crest resting against her clit.

Tessa’s head rocked against the pillows at that first excruciating, explicit caress.

“Are you with me, Tess?”

Tessa forced herself to focus on his face. He was beautiful. So brave, so strong. So certain in his want for her. And, at the same time, so vulnerable, his need for her cut deep between his eyes and in the grooves around his mouth.

“I’m here,” she promised. “I’m with you. For every single second you want me.”

Tristan groaned and kissed her and thrust home.

Tessa’s mind blanked. She hadn’t been filled like that in ages. No, never. And the intrusion was both a shock and absolute fucking heaven.

He noticed her freeze. “Tess?” Tristan held perfectly still. Though he couldn’t stop his cock from jumping inside her. Tessa’s brow furrowed in concentration; her teeth dug into her bottom lip. She was burning it into her memory—every inch of him shaping every inch of her. “Tess, are you okay?”

“Yes,” she managed, knowing he wouldn’t move until she answered. “I won’t break.”

A tremor danced across him from head to toe. “Fuck, but I might.”

“I love—” Tessa dragged out, lifting her legs to cradle him close, her hands fluttering through his hair before she pulled him down for a kiss. “I love how you feel inside me.” Tessa contracted her muscles, gripping him tighter, and swore she felt him get even harder. “You are perfect. You feel perfect. But I need you to fucking move. Now.”

Tristan rocked once on his powerful arms, a low laugh breaking the tension. And sending Tessa’s need sky-high. “Like I said,” Tristan ground out, his eyes locked on where he pulled out slowly, before slamming his hips down hard. “So. Fucking. Bossy.” He drove the words home, his hips jerking forcefully after each. Tessa’s world shrank to the heated cloud of gasps and sighs that surrounded them in her bed.

She clawed at his back and Tristan bucked harder when her nails caught the damaged spot on his right shoulder blade.

Tessa was about to pull away, about to apologize, when he demanded, “Again.”

Experimentally, Tessa dug her nails into him again, a little lighter. She was rewarded with a punishing thrust, the jolt sending her head up against the top of the bed.

“Again.” Tristan’s voice broke as he poured the word into her mouth, holding it there with a fevered kiss.

The bed was rocking beneath them, each drive of Tristan’s hips knocking it harder against the wall.

Tessa held on like her life depended it. And she couldn’t ignore the feeling that Tristan’s actually might. Not when he stroked his tongue deeper every time she held him harder, or surged higher and faster when Tessa held him down, like she wanted to live pinned between him and the mattress for the rest of her life.

On the next thrust, Tristan angled his hips up. Tessa’s heels scrambled against the bed when the thick head of his cock caught that spot inside her.

“Fuck, yes! Tristan. Don’t…stop…. More,” she begged. “Please, more.”

Tristan’s body answered, the thrust almost punishing. His pelvis ground down at the same time, rubbing Tessa’s clit with every stroke.

“Oh, God. Tessa. You feel so good, so hot. So tight.” Tristan’s movements were getting jerky, his hips stuttering as he chased his own release. “Fuck!” he gasped. “I’m gonna come. Come with me.”

He dragged one nipple into his mouth and bit down at the same time he slammed into her. Tessa felt like he was lodged somewhere beneath her heart, the heavy pulse of his cock matching the erratic rhythm beating inside her.

“I’m so close, Tristan, so fucking close.” Tessa locked her heels behind his ass and lifted her pelvis up, taking him as deep as she could.

Tristan’s elbows buckled, his chest crashing down as he kissed her over and over. Tristan filled her mouth, her lungs, her quickening sheath.

And your heart, her head murmured. It was that perilous, tempting thought that shattered her.

Tessa bit down on his shoulder as she broke apart beneath him. Tristan groaned, his own release exploding as she milked him, long, tight ripples pulling him deeper with every tremble of her body.

“Holy fuck. Tess.” Tristan collapsed to his side, pulling her with them so they were face to face. Their breaths came out short and starved as they came back down from that incredible high.

Tessa moaned when Tristan stroked them both with a lazy push of his hips. Sweet little aftershocks jumped across her as they stayed locked together. Tristan was softening inside her but was still so large, and Tessa still felt so full. And so wonderfully happy.

She pressed a kiss to the center of his chest and Tristan’s arms tightened around her.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m wonderful,” she said, eyes closed, her forehead resting on his shoulder. “You?”

Tristan shifted. He slipped one long leg between her thighs, wedging them closer together. Tessa’s mouth dropped open when a little flash of pleasure shot up from her clit at the friction. Tristan answered her small gasp with a rumbling laugh.

“I feel fucking fantastic.” He cupped her butt with one hand and gently rocked her into him.

Tessa didn’t open her eyes. Didn’t say a word. Couldn’t. She was boneless from two incredible orgasms and Tristan was lighting a soft fire in her again. He was semi-hard but still impressive, the wide base of his cock filling her tight. He kept his body still, just using his grip on her ass to stroke her against him.

“Tristan?” she managed, breathless and loving what he was doing to her.

“Shhhhh,” he answered. “Shhh, just let it come.” Another rock forward. Tristan dragged her clit across the bottom of his groin, and Tessa’s toes flexed, the leg resting on top of his locking as the tension climbed again.

Tessa let it come. She didn’t have a choice. He was using her so wonderfully. Not for his pleasure. Just her own.

“I can’t get enough, Tess,” he said, putting into words exactly she was feeling. “I’ll never get enough of you. The way you feel. The way you sound. How beautiful you are when you come apart.” On the next sweep forward Tristan lifted his hips just a little. Tessa’s fingers bit into his sides when an answering shot of heat rippled through her.

She pressed her forehead against his blazing skin, and squeezed her eyes tight. They were both sticky with exertion. Tessa could taste the hint of salt from their sweat on her lips.

Tristan rocked her again and again. Small, soft movements that built, one tiny rush after another. Tessa’s nipples were hard and sensitive where they pushed against Tristan’s chest. Her head was buried deep in his shoulder, the pumping of his blood a rush in her ear.

She was so close. Pulses of feeling snaked up from her core, deep through her abdomen, swirling around her heart, tripping down her arms, making her fingers tingle. She gave up trying to breathe. Her lungs protested, but Tessa didn’t care.

The only thing she cared about was the way Tristan made her feel. Safe. Wanted. Cherished.

“Come, sweet Tess.” Tristan whispered before nipping at her earlobe. The soft bite was like a spark to kindling, the tinder that set everything else alight.

Tessa shook. Silently, completely. Her body falling apart at the seams as Tristan drew out the sweetest orgasm she’d ever experienced. She was on another plane. Not earth. Not heaven. A place farther away, rarer, a world she’d never guessed existed. Made of strong arms, hot breath, and the solid, beautiful beat of his heart.

“Sleep, my sweet.”

Tristan’s murmur reached her from miles away. Tessa’s mouth curved into a soft smile, and she did.